KUCHING: The Sarawak government will strengthen cooperation with the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia to raise public awareness on marriage procedures between citizens of both countries to prevent citizenship issues.
Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said this effort is crucial to prevent cases of stateless children born from irregular or unregistered marriages.
As chairperson of the Sarawak-level Special Committee for Citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, she said such cases remain a major challenge, particularly involving marriages between Sarawakians and Indonesian women.
“We will enhance cooperation with the Indonesian Consulate to educate the public on the necessary marriage procedures for Malaysians who intend to marry Indonesian citizens.
“This is to prevent children born from irregular marriages from being rendered stateless and inheriting only their mother’s citizenship,” she said at a press conference after chairing the committee meeting at Baitulmakmur Building 2 on Thursday (Feb 27).
Fatimah stressed that it is important to ensure all marriages are legally registered to avoid complications, especially concerning children’s citizenship and access to benefits.
“The Indonesian Consulate is carrying out this initiative to help their citizens working in Malaysia, manage their marriages legally.
“However, there are still cases of unregistered marriages, leading to children being denied Malaysian citizenship despite having a Malaysian father,” she said.
To address this, the Sarawak government will step up efforts to resolve the issue of stateless children by introducing key initiatives to safeguard their rights to education, healthcare, and welfare.
